Chemical Salvation
by River Nightrunner
Summary: All Ginger wanted in the Third Rail was a quiet drink. Of course she'd run into an old acquaintance. Of course that acquaintance had to be Mayor MacCready. And Of course MacCready just had to introduce her to the King of the Zombies.
1. Chapter 1

**Chemical Salvation**

 **Chapter 1**

Bright black eyes shifted in the direction of not too distant gunfight. The battle cries of the super mutants that had taken up residents a couple blocks away could be heard clearly in the early evening air. John Hancock tapped out his spent cigarette and made his way to the roof top closer to the fighting. From there he could get eyes on the mutant camp. He'd done so before, he'd been keeping a close eye on the mutants since they'd settled in while he figured out what to do about them.

Hancock took a knee and hefted the binoculars, bringing the mutant camp into focus. Through the holes in the walls he could see a mutant firing rapidly deeper into the ruble. A small streak of dark leather and bright fiery hair darted in low, twin pistols barking. Blood bloomed in a path up the mutant's chest and it fell over backwards. The girl, who couldn't have been more than 25, perched on its bloody chest and twisted back the way she'd come in time to take a graceful leap sideways, rolling to avoid a sledgehammer from another mutie.

The girl glanced toward the flash of gunfire to her right, pulled a grenade and lobed beyond Hancock's view with one hand while swiftly yanking a blade with brass knuckles attached from her belt with the other.

Hancock watched her fight, wondering if maybe he'd gotten a bad batch of jet. Or a good batch depending on who you looked at it. The girl in his binoculars was both graceful and deadly. The way she wielded the blades in her hands, twisting and tumbling in flashes of fiery hair and blood soaked steel. It was like watching a prewar ballerina or perhaps an acrobat.

Hancock knew there were five muties in that camp, it was one of the reasons he hadn't gone over with Fahrenheit to clean them out yet. He wanted to scope out a couple extra gun hands first.

The woman had killed four of them already when the fifth charged into view. It was the master of the camp in full armor. It was armed with a mini gun but it was already panting and bleeding heavily. She must have managed to put a few bullets into it before she'd abandoned her pistols. Its aim was off and she moved in low, rushing forward.

The girl flicked her wrist, catching one knife by the back of the blade and threw it with a precision that shrieked years of practice. The steel embedded itself into the mutant's thick shoulder. It howled in rage and pain but the girl hadn't even paused. She leapt forward, grabbed a fist full of his cage armor and hoisted herself high enough to plunge her remaining dagger into the side of its unprotected neck.

The mutant dropped its weapon and grabbed at her, hurling her off of it's body but it was too late. The big green beast fell dead before she hit the ground.

She rolled as she hit the pavement, springing to her feet with her knife ready in one hand while her other hand was held out in front of her as an aiming device.

Hancock watched her sweep the area, ready to launch into the next attack but there weren't any mutants left. His withered lips pulled down in a frown around the remains of her cigarette as he watched her shoulders droop. She was too far away to see the look on her face but her body language radiated disappointment.

All the fire and the passion drained out of her small frame and she collected her scattered weapons. He watched her wipe the mutant blood staining her blades on her pants before replacing them in the X sheaths on her back.

He tracked her with his binoculars until she move away, disappearing in the ruins of Boston like a ghost.

"Go sister," he muttered under his breath, putting down the binoculars. He relit his forgotten cigarette and watched a few more minutes but woman didn't reappear.

* * *

Ginger gazed into her vodka rocks. Since it was hard to come by ice in the wasteland it was mostly vodka but the robotic bartender had managed one lone misshapen cube in her glass.

She had stumbled onto the settle of Goodneighbor a couple of hours after she'd come across a nest of super mutants. Entering the town even in the early evening it had been dark, seedy and with an overall aura of danger. Shapes moved in the black alleyways between the buildings and the hair on the back of her neck had prickled under the mistrustful eyes of the town's residences.

It was her kinda town.

She'd spent an hour selling off the heavy salvage she gathered and a pleasant ghoul named Daisy had let her scrub up in a cracked sink.

Ginger hadn't bother changing out of her bloodstained armor but nobody in Goodneighbor gave her a second glance even bloodstained.

Good.

That had been the point of leaving New Vegas. She was tired of being recognized. Tired of being looked at like a hero. Ginger was looking for retirement from the business of heroing. A big part of that was finding a place nobody knew her. A place nobody would recognize her until she finally found something or someone strong enough to kill her.

Boston had its dangers along with its fair share of problems. Enough so that when she'd done a little asking of the merchants here nobody seemed to have heard of the NCR and Nobody seemed to be getting news from the Capital Wasteland over a few hear say rumors about the Enclave being gone and the water being better.

That was perfect.

Ginger put her drink to her lips, letting the burn ease her into a state of almost relaxation. She'd found a stool at the bar and had been sitting there for twenty whole minutes without anyone whispering and pointing her out to their friends. Nobody had come up to her to thank her or to ask her to solve their own troubles.

That was also perfect.

Ginger sipped again and a male voice behind her laughed loudly.

"Holy Sh- ah Crap. If it ain't The Lone Wanderer!"

Ginger choked on her drink, spluttering. She set her glass down sharply, flicking spilt alcohol off her fingers and a strong hand clapped her on the back.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to sneak up on ya' Ginger."

She twisted on her stool to see who it was who'd shattered her anonymity. A young man was grinning at her with bright eyes and wearing army green. He looked vaguely familiar in the smoky bar but she couldn't place him in the low light. He knew she didn't recognize him and he grinned wider, eyes twinkling with both mischief and alcohol. It was the mischief that sparked the memory.

" _Mayor MacCready_?" She asked in disbelief. Of all the people she could have run into. Of all the bars she could have wandered into…and she walked into his.

"It's Just MacCready now. What brings you all the way to Boston? Last we heard you'd run off to Vegas after…" his voice dropped and looked apologetic. "After…well you know."

Ginger nodded, doing her best to ignore the fresh stab of pain through her chest. "After Lou." She supplied. His name still cut her every time she said it but she could handle it better now.

MacCready let the rest of his grin fade, offering his sympathy without saying it. "We heard about it in Little Lamp Light. Not sure what it's worth to you but we held a memorial service for him. It was Bumbles idea. She made a little doll of him and we said some words and tossed it into the pool."

Ginger chuckled, touched by the kids thought. "Burial at sea. Nice. I think Lou would have like that." MacCready nodded, sparing a glance at the empty stool next to her but to prideful to ask. Ginger saw the look and nodded at it like she didn't care one way or the other. "Why don't to join me, if you're not in too much of a rush."

MacCready made a show of looking around, like he might have something better to do, before he took the offered stool. "I guess I have time."

Ginger shook her head slightly, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. He was much less of an ass now that he wasn't twelve and starring down at her from the gates of his city.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Just wandering, but I'm here in the Third Rail looking to… I don't really know." She shot him a smirk and he took notice of how sad her eyes were even in the low light of the bar. "Mostly I guess I'm just looking for a distraction."

MacCready nodded, he knew all about the need for distraction. He looked her over, noting the dark circles under her eyes. There were bruises peeking out from under her armor and the shift of something dangerous behind her irises as she belted back the rest of her drink. She was also thinner then she'd been, not enough to be scrawny but her cheek bone were a little more pronounced then they should have been.

"Charlie, two more. Put them on my tab." He said to the robotic barkeep. The English bot muttered something about MacCready _paying_ his tab but got the drinks anyway.

Ginger cocked an eyebrow at him. "Buyin' my Drinks MacCready? You wouldn't be trying to get me drunk would you?"

He laughed, "No. You were like a favorite Aunt to all of us back in Little Lamp Light. Although a good tumbling from someone else might be good for you. When was the last time you slept more than a couple hours?"

Ginger shook her head. "It has been awhile. I have a partner back in Vegas that I occasionally hook up with but he's not a love interest by any means. It's more of a _friends with benefits_ deal. It works well for the both of us. After Lou… I just don't have the energy to find another romance. That part of me is just…gone. That's one of the reasons I had to get out of Vegas." She growled bitterly, depression tainting the smirk on her face. The exhaustion in her voice got heavier as she let her walls slip down in his presence. "I did it again Mac. I made myself a hero and men were lining up trying to claim me. When it wasn't that people were clamoring for me to go on suicide runs or some other bullshit that was really none of my concern. I couldn't get a moment's peace. Being a symbol of hope is thankless and exhausting."

" _Well_ ," MacCready drawled, understanding both what she was saying and the anger stewing just under her skin. "I think I can help with your distraction tonight. And don't worry, your army-of-one secrets are safe with me."

"Mac, don't go out of your way for me." She told him tiredly. "I just want to fade into the background for awhile."

"You and Lou cleaned out Murder Pass." He told her firmly. "You didn't have too, you already had the password to get into the vault but you did it anyway. You did it for us and as Mayor at the time I figured I owe you. I pay my debts Ginger." MacCready got up quickly while he talked. "I got someone you're gonna like and he comes with all kinds of distractions from any past that might be chasin' ya. No strings attached."

"Mac wait-" she tried to stop him but he was already gone, lost in the increasing crowd of the smoke filled room. Ginger sighed and kept drinking. The boy meant well but she really wasn't looking for a new man or even any new friends however temporary they might be. She could slip out but at the same time she really didn't want to hurt Mac's feelings so instead she ordered a shot.

When Charlie set it down she smirked. "Put it on MacCready's tab."

Charlie chuckled, "With pleasure miss."

* * *

MacCready's boots hit the top step just as Hancock strolled in from the street, red coat fluttering around his boots. "Hey, just the ghoul I was lookin' for."

"Oh yeah?" Hancock grinned, cigarette clamped between his teeth and riding a pleasant wave of jet.

"Yeah, an old friend just blew in." he told the Mayor. "Knew her from the Capitol Wasteland, I owe her a good one and she's in town looking to forget her troubles. Thought we could work out a deal."

Hancock's grin widened and he flicked ash to the floor. "What kinda deal we talkin' kid?"

"Thought you might be interested in hooking her up with a little chemical distraction. Whatever she wants and I'll pay you back later. I owe her that much from years ago."

"Hey I feel yeah brother, where is this friend. She gonna be cool getting' high with a ghoul?" Hancock asked, happy to help MacCready's friend in need as they descended into the smoky bar. Magnolia was singing her heart out _. I'm the one you've been looking for_ was a crowd favorite. Sometimes in his head he liked to change "Girl" to "Ghoul" in his head. In fact he'd used that a couple times to pick up a pretty face to warm his bed at night.

"Ginger hasn't got anything against ghouls. She's at the bar." MacCready lead the way and Hancock paused is surprise when his eyes landed on the woman MacCready made a beeline for. Fiery hair glinted in the light as she turned and Hancock grinned at the woman he'd been watching earlier. "Hey there Sister. Welcome to Goodneighbor."

Ginger accepted his hand, shaking it firmly. The ghoul Mac had brought her seemed to be good natured with a wicked spark in his black eye. He was handsome in a way only ghouls could be and she had to admit he pulled off the red colonial coat and tricon hat well.

"MacCready tells me you're lookin' for a party. I'm the ghoul you're lookin' for." he grinned, relaxed with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his cigarette. "As Mayor of Goodneighbor it's my civic duty to offer my professional services."

Ginger laughed softly as Hancock claimed the empty stool next to her. "And how do you intend to service me?" she asked, playing along for MacCready's sake. She'd be social for long enough that nobody felt snubbed and then she'd slink off to find a hidey hole to grab a little sleep.

Hancock winked and pulled a box from an inner pocket, flipping open the lid and offering it to her. "Let's start off easy and see where the night takes us. Mentat?"

Ginger took two tablets and popped them into her mouth. She did like the ghoul in spite of her blackened mood, she liked Goodneighbor too. Maybe she'd stick around for a day or two. Maybe not. It depended on a lot of things.

MacCready tipped his hat, his eyes already on a blonde on the other side of the bar. "Looks like you're up to bat Hancock."

"Yeah," he smirked at the younger man. "Don't wait up MacCready."

Ginger washed the mentats down with her vodka and held up two fingers to Charlie. The robot topped her off and poured a fresh glass for the Mayor. Ginger slid the new glass in his direction. "Drink up. You don't want to fall behind."

Hancock lifted his glass in salute to her before he belted back half the glass. "So Sister, you handled yourself pretty well out there in the ruins today. Damned if I wasn't impressed. Thought sure you'd be pummeled when you ditched your guns."

Gingers eyebrows shot up, the mentats made her finger tips tingle and her mind snapped to attention despite the several drinks she'd already consumed. "You must have been a long way off if you saw me fighting and I didn't know you were there."

"I heard the gunshots and saw everything from the rooftops here in town." He told her, pulling a jet inhaler from his pocket and, ever the gentlemen, offering it to her. "Skilled as you are feels like it was lucky you didn't get yourself killed."

Ginger accepted the Jet, shaking the inhaler while she giggled to hide her frustration. "Not so sure I'd call it lucky. I've found," she took a deep lung full of jet, letting her limbs go pleasantly numb before blowing out the vapor. "That I'm damn hard to kill. I feel like I'm near immortal and that I've tested _thoroughly_."

Hancock let his own hit of jet settle over him along with her words. "Seems like a dangerous lifestyle."

"That's me," she finished her glass. "Risk life and limb to save the people who can't save themselves."

"I knew I like you." He told her, bumping her shoulder with his playfully. "That's what Goodneighbor is all about. Giving a place to the people who don't fit anywhere else. It's a town for the freaks and the outcasts. Everyone's welcome, no judgment. It's of the people, for the people. Ya feel me?"

Ginger smiled pulling a jet inhaler out of her own pocket and offering it to him first. "That sounds kinda magical actually. Wish I'd know about this place six years ago."

Hancock took his hit and smiled. "Six years ago Goodneighbor was a different town. Run by a mob boss that didn't give a damn about the drifters living here."

They ordered more drinks and Hancock told her about how he'd come to wear the clothes of the original John Hancock and how after careful planning he'd organized the people and ended up hanging Vic from his own balcony.

Ginger listened to his story, impressed that he was able to rally from the gutter like he had and she told him that very fact.

Hancock snubbed out his latest smoke and glanced around, realizing the Third Rail was starting to empty out. It must be getting late and the girl next to him carried exhaustion on her face like a second skin. "Where're you sleepin' tonight Sunshine?"

"I don't know, figured I'd find an inn or a dark corner or something after my drink." She told him, "Didn't expect to stay so long."

Hancock leaned close, resting an arm on the bar and pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "We could move this party back to my place. If not the Hotel Rexford is better than the sidewalk. Tell em I sent you, they'll give you a good deal."

Ginger smiled, feeling very relaxed for the first time in years. She had very rarely partaken in chems before tonight and this was the first time she'd mixed meds. She'd never make a habit out of it but tonight she was glad the heavy weight on her shoulders had lifted as much as it had. "I don't think I'm ready to call it a night just yet. Lead the way handsome."

They left together, Ginger noted on the way out that MacCready was already gone and so was that Blonde he'd been chatting up.

The cool night air cleared her head a little but only a little and she breathed deep. Hancock playfully hooked his arm into hers and she laughed. Hancock decided he liked her laugh and he got the distinct feeling that she didn't let just anybody hear it.

High as kites on a summer breeze and skipping side by side as they made their way to the State House. It reminded her of a time long ago when she and Lucifer had run wild in the wasteland moonlight. Those were memories she pushed away. They'd only kill her good time buzz and she wasn't ready to welcome that all consuming depression back to the front of her mind. Instead she latched on to the feeling of being twenty years old without a care in the world beyond finding out where her father had disappeared too.

Hancock took hold of her hand on the marble steps, leading the way into the Statehouse building and up to his private living area. Fahrenheit was gone and he closed the doors behind them. Ginger dropped her pack and collapsed onto his thread bare couch. Hancock got a fresh bottle from his safe and brought two glasses before settling in next to her.

"How long you been in the Commonwealth?" he asked, pouring his guest a glass.

"Not long, a week or two." she told him, pulling the band the kept her braid in place loose and letting her long hair tumble free. "I lose track out in the wasteland sometimes. I plan on going into the ruins to explore when I'm done here."

Hancock nodded, "Ruins are crawling with raiders, mutants, and gunners but they are easy enough to slip by if you don't want to deal with them. The only place in the city you should really steer clear of is the Boston Commons. Got a real monster in there, it's been squatting for years. Nobody come back from the Commons."

Ginger nodded, raising her glass in a toast. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Something flashed across her face and he opened his mouth to ask what she was thinking when she grinned suddenly. It was the first honest full on grin he'd seen on the little red head and his pulse skipped up a few beats in tempo. Ginger was a beautiful woman.

"I got something I've been saving." She told him, digging into a side pocket. "I think you're gonna to like it." She found what she was looking for and shook the inhaler in her hand. Hancock's eyes widened.

"Is that?" he asked, watching her inhale deeply, her eyes rolling up in a few moments of bliss before blew out the vapor.

She handed it to him. "Ultra Jet. That's my last one."

Hancock took the last of it, ecstatic to have a guest willing to share such rare goodies. When he opened his eyes Ginger was leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, finishing off her vodka.

Her whole body was tingling pleasantly and gravity had lost a lot of its earthly pull. Hancock tossed the spent inhaler on the coffee table and stood, holding out his hand. "Come with me."

Ginger gave him another honest smile, softer this time as she took his leathery hand and let him pull her to her feet. He led her across the room and pushed open a door. Inside was a large bed made up in blood red sheets. A dozen candles were lit on the dresser for light, making the warm room smell pleasantly like leather and beeswax.

Ginger looked up into his twinkling black eyes and he grinned down at her like the devil himself. "Your choice sister." He purred in her ear. "I want you in my bed tonight…what do you want?"

Gingers tingling skin prickled in the most delightful way where he was touching her shoulders and she smiled softly, slowly pulling the zipper of her leather vest down. "I want to feel alive." She told him in a husky murmured, shrugging off the leather.

* * *

 **Part 2 will be coming soon. :) Let me know what you think so far. I hope I captured both Mac and Hancock.**


	2. Chapter 2

**(( Suggested listening: Take me to Church by Hozier ))**

Hancock pulled her into his bedroom and closed the door, hanging his red coat on the coat rack just inside the room. Ginger had already kicked off her boots when he turned. She was standing there in the middle of his bedroom waiting for him with sultry eyes. Hancock looked her over in her leather pants and dark green tank top before crossing the floor. He could see her nipples standing at attention under the thin fabric.

Hancock slowly ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

Ginger slid her hands under his shirt, tugging the fabric free before slowly undoing the buttons running up his chest one at a time. He wasn't much taller than she was but his long lean muscles made him seem taller. Hancock's naked muscle was soft when she ran her fingers over the patches, she'd always loved to feel Lou's exposed muscle too.

Hancock sucked in a breath, he'd had women both human and ghoul but none of them had caressed his open muscle like that before. They'd avoided it, favoring his less sensitive leathery hide. Ginger had no such scruples and he briefly wondered whether or not he was her first ghoul.

The king of the zombies leaned in, slipping the straps of her tank top away with his thumbs and placing slow kisses on her shoulder. Ginger groaned lightly in the back of her throat, the tingling under his lips rippling out through the rest of her body. In that moment she realized just how long it had been since she'd had an experienced man take care of her.

Hancock's mouth skimmed along her neck, up to her jaw to her cheek, and then finally he claimed her mouth. She accepted his rough lips blissfully, curling her fingers onto his belt so she didn't float away. The lust and chems in her blood making her too light to be affected by the earth's gravity. Hancock's mouth was warm, soft and possessive all at the same time. His roaming hands found her blades at the small of her back and he broke the kiss, the memory of her wielding them flashing in his mind.

He drew them from their sheaths slowly, placing one on his dresser and holding the other up in the candlelight. The metal shone brightly. It had been oiled, polished and sharpened recently. _"Beautiful,"_

Ginger smiled with real love in her eyes, "They're my most trusted companions," she told him softly. Hancock caught the flash of something predatory in her eyes and smiled, he'd always wanted to try a little something but he hadn't wanted to scare off the woman in his company.

Ginger was different.

A slow, devil's grin spread over his face and he pressed the flat of the blade against her collar bone, watching her face. He slowly dragged the blade down her skin to the hollow between her breasts. John thoroughly enjoying the way Gingers breath caught in her throat and the goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature in the room rolling over her pale skin.

"Oh sunshine," he breathed, his nerves humming. "You're my kind of good time."

The knife skimmed back up over her skin, leaving light red marks in its wake and he expertly slid it under the strap of her tank top, slicing through the worn fabric. Ginger purred deep in the back of her throat, not caring about the shirt. Hancock brushed his ruined lips over the newly exposed skin and Ginger pushed his shirt off his shoulders.

Ginger's skin buzzed under her knife blade and when he sliced threw the other strap heat shot through her. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes while he danced the blade over her skin. Hancock slid the blade down, circling her navel with the tip before slicing up between her breasts in a quick motion.

The ruined shirt fell away and pushed her back against the wall. Hancock's arm flashed forward and he embedded her blade into the wall next to her head before he sank to his knees before her.

He paused, leaning back to admire the collection of scars marring her flesh.

She was a fighter.

He liked that.

He hooked two fingers into the hem of her pants and pulled her hips forward, his strong hand slid around her waist, holding her close to him while his mouth nibbled the flesh just below her navel. Ginger groaned, her head tipping back and her long soft coppery hair tickling his fingers. Hancock continued to roll his tongue over her skin, nipping her flesh playfully before finally undoing her belt with his teeth. He pushed the heavy fabric down and she stepped out of them, kicking them to the side.

He dipped his mouth lower and Ginger hissed, grabbing his skull with both hands when his tongue plunged between her slick lips and flicked over her swollen clit. Hancock smirked and captured that sensitive nub, suckeling without mercy. She braced herself against the wall, enjoying the mayor's attention until her knees started to feel weak. She tugged him to his feet before her legs gave out completely and he obeyed.

"You like the way I service you?" he growled playfully in her ear, teasing her. Hancock was standing close enough that she could feel beating under his skin.

Ginger grinned up into his eyes and pushed him back to the edge of his bed. "Take your pants off."

* * *

 _Hancock settled himself on his favorite stool at the bar of The Third Rail and looked around with a frown. The only other person there was the bartender. A scarred ghoul he'd never seen before was wiping out a glass with a rag._

" _Hey," Hancock said. "Where's Charlie?"_

" _Not here," the ghoul told him, setting the clean glass in front of the Mayor and filling it with whisky._

" _What about Magnolia? Not like her to miss her shift."_

" _She's not here either." He flipped the rag onto his shoulder and braced himself on the bar._

 _Hancock lifted the drink but didn't sip it. Something wasn't right here. "I've never seen you before. Since this is my place I know you're not a new barkeep. So what the deal here?"_

 _The ghoul locked eyes with Hancock with an intensity that had the Mayor reaching for the dagger on his belt. "I'm trying to save her."_

 _Hancock stiffened, snapping the glass back down onto the bar. "Who? Mags?"_

" _No," the not barkeeper told him and he jerked his thumb towards the far end of the bar. "Her."_

 _Hancock glance down the empty bar and jerked in surprise. Ginger was suddenly there, nursing a drink with her eyes fixed on nothing but the glass in her hand._

" _Save her." the bartended pleaded. "The door into her mind is locked. I can't get to her this time."_

" _I don't understand." Hancock frowned, glancing between the bartender and Ginger. "She's right there. She's not in any danger."_

" _You're wrong." he said, his eyes locked on the girl. "She's the most dangerous creature in the wasteland when it comes to things that threaten her own life. Save her Hancock."_

" _Who are you?" Hancock asked, dragging his own black eyes away from Ginger and focusing on the other ghoul._

 _He looked Hancock over carefully._

" _Lucifer."_

* * *

Hancock woke suddenly; thinking that it would probably be good to reframe from Ultra Jet before bed. He stretched, reaching out for the woman sleeping next to him. All he found was a cold spot in his bed. He opened his eyes and searched the room, she wasn't there. Hancock got up and pulled on his pants. He stuffed his feet into his boots but he didn't bother with his discarded shirt still crumpled on the wooden floor.

He did pause to admire the hole in the wall where he'd left her knife before leaving the bedroom with an _I-just-got-laid_ smirk on his face. He fully intended to find Ginger and try to charmer her back into his bed for the day. Fahrenheit was on his couch with a coffee cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Mornin boss." She growled, ignoring his lopsided _I-just-had-great-sex_ grin.

"Mornin darlin'. Did you see a pretty girl in here this morning?"

"No, you lose one."

He chuckled. "Had a little company last night. She must have taken off early."

Hancock crossed to the room to the coffee pot and saw a sheet of paper on his desk that he was pretty sure hadn't been there before. He moved to his chair and took a seat, grimacing briefly at the stack of ledgers he should have worked on last night like a responsible Mayor.

He leaned back in his chair and picked up the note, kicking his boots up on his desk.

 _Thanks for the advice last night and thanks even more for the distraction. Maybe I'll see ya on the other side Mr. Mayor._

 _-Ginger-_

Hancock frowned, sitting up and set his mug down. He had only given her one bit of advice as far as he could remember and it hadn't really been advice, it had been a warning.

"Trouble?" Fahrenheit asked when he got up and went quickly to his room to retrieve his shirt and coat.

"Not sure yet." he said, donning his hat. "Hold down the fort. I gotta check on something."

Hancock strolled out into the early morning air. It was thick with fog and there weren't very many people on the streets. His first stop was K-L-E-O. She'd seen a girl fitting Ginger's description and she'd confirmed selling the girl ammo and a wet stone.

He thanked K-L-E-O and strolled over to Daisy's.

"Hey Sister,"

"Hancock," she smiled pleasantly with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. "You're out and about early."

"I'm lookin' for a friend, wondering if she's still in town. You seen a pretty little smoothskin with ginger hair?"

"Yeah, she was at my door as soon as I unlocked it. Grabbed a sweet roll and some ammo before she asked direction."

"Did she buy any Stimpaks?" Hancock asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

Daisy shook her head. "No, she asked how to get to the commons but I told her not to go there. Gave her a rout that would get her around it."

Hancock frowned. "I got a feeling avoiding the commons isn't what she had in mind."

Daisy's eyes widened, "That's suicide."

Hancock nodded, a hard ball foaming in the pit of his stomach. "Lend me a rifle will ya? And a travel pack."

Daisy reached under the counter. "Here, got a couple scavenger starter packs all made up."

He took it and accepted the .308 hunting rifle she handed him. He turned to leave but Daisy caught his arm. "Hancock, you'd better take these too."

Hancock took the five grenades she handed him, clipping them to his belt.

Hancock left Goodnieghbor quickly, making good time through the ruins of Boston but aware that Ginger had a couple hours head start.

He went over the night before in his head and growled a curse. The tired, almost haunted look in her eyes, the cryptic comments he'd taken as jokes. He should have seen she was in need of saving. Considering the dream he'd had maybe he _had_ picked up on her cry for help subconsciously.

A furious and deafening roar reverberated from in the ruins ahead that sent a chill down his spine and he doubled his pace.

Fifteen minutes and he was at the edge of the commons. He cursed, hefting his gun. Ginger dodged a massive blow from the behemoth swan. Rock and dirt showering in all directions under the beasts blow. Ginger emptied her clip into the Swans face and he back handed her with another furious roar. Ginger was sent flying. She rolled as she hit the ground, rolling two grenades under the Swan's feet in a fluid motion. They exploded and the force knocked the monster back onto its ass. Hancock started firing but the Swan barely noticed him. Ginger rushed forward, twin blades glinting in the darkening sky despite how early it was.

She jumped onto the beast, a dangerous, adrenalin fueled kind of delight flashing across her pretty face. Hancock would have found it sexy as all hell if he hadn't been so afraid for her life at the moment.

Ginger slammed one of her blades into its left eye. The Swan howled and grabbed her around her torso with one massive hand. It lifted her up as it clamber back onto its' feet and roared in her face. It looked like it was fully intent on swallowing her whole. Ginger pulled the pin from a frag grenade with her teeth. Lobbing it into the back of its throat with her one free hand.

It choked, hurling her across the commons like a bit of trash and Hancock cringed at the cry of pain that ripped from her throat.

The Swan took one step in her direction when her grenade blew a gaping hole in the side of its neck. It fell and the ground rocked under Hancock's boots. The Swan didn't move again. Hancock swore and was running before he'd made the decision to advance.

He found her quickly. She'd landed on the rod iron fence that surrounded the park and one spike had pierced threw the back of her right shoulder. The iron spike protruded three inches above bloody skin. Her right leg was also clearly broken and she was ghost pale.

"Christ sister," he breathed, holding his hand over her slack mouth. She was breathing. Hancock felt a familiar prickle of radiation in the air and swore again. Of course a radiation storm was moving in fast. Why the fuck not?

He knew he had to get her off the fence and under cover if she was going to survive. Hancock was going to make sure she survived weather she liked it or not. The devil himself had asked him to save her and he was going to do just that.

Hancock got his arms around her and lifted Ginger as straight as he could to prevent more damage. He got the unconscious woman onto his shoulder and started walking. He knew he'd never make it back to Goodneighbor before the storm hit but there were hundreds of hidey holes in the city if you knew how to look for them.

John found a small bar that wasn't perfect but better than nothing and got her inside as the first flash of lighting lit the sky. The radiation spike in the air eased his muscles but he couldn't be grateful for it at the moment as she moaned softly.

He laid her down on an old, stained, pool table before doing a quick sweep of the building. He didn't find anything but a couple radroaches. He killed them quickly and returned to her. Hancock set her leg first and she cried out.

"Sorry!" he growled, snapping a pool cue over his knee and using it as a splint.

Radioactive thunder rolled overhead and even inside Hancock felt the prickle of radiation roll over his flesh. Ginger groan on the table and growled out softly. " _oh you cunt_ …"

"That's not very nice," Hancock told her softly, not really thinking she was awake. He was surprised when she answered him.

"Not you," her voice was hoarse but she was cognitive. " _Her_ , the wasteland herself. She has always done her level best to keep me alive. I don't know why she bothers."

He finished wrapping her leg and dug in the bag Daisy had given him. He decided to give her free drinks at the Third Rail for a year when he found a bottle of Rad-X.

"There is one hell of a radiation storm brewing outside, I'm pretty sure she's not trying to help right now." He told her. "Here, take this." He tried to put the pills in her mouth but she turned her head.

"She is." Ginger licked her dry lips and sighed. "I survived my fight and now the wasteland is providing."

"I think you must have hit you head sister." Hancock looked around and grabbed a bottle of water long forgotten on a nearby shelf. "Shit, it's irradiated." He growled under his breath.

"I'll take it."

"No way sunshine, it'll hurt you more than help."

"Please Hancock," she rasped.

He growled, hating the twisted look of pain on her face. "Fine, here."

He helped her sit up enough to get the bottle to her lips and she drank deeply. When it was empty he tossed the bottle to the side, settling her back down. "Gonna have to cut you shirt away from your shoulder."

She nodded. "Do it."

Hancock worked quickly, using his own razor sharp blade to slice through the leather of her armor and then the fabric of her under shirt.

"You know sunshine." He commented in an effort to distract both her and himself. "This was a lot more fun last night."

When he got the wound exposed he frowned and used his flag sash to wipe away the worse of the blood. The hole seemed smaller than it should have been for the size of the rod that had impaled her.

He waded the tattered flag against the wound and flicked his eyes to hers. She was watching him closely with calm eyes despite the pain she had to be in. He did notice her ragged breath easing just a little when the next wave of radiation rolled over them. Ginger blew out a small sigh of relief, some color returning to her cheeks.

"I don't understand," he rasped and she winced as she struggled to sit up. He helped her and she sighed again in relief.

"I…I guess you could say I'm a little bit ghoulish. It's a long story but radiation heals me just like you. I told my father once that the wasteland had accepted me as one of her own children. I said she provided everything I needed to survive so long as I was strong enough to claim it. At the time I didn't know how true those words would ring."

"You came here looking to die." It was a statement, not a question.

Gingers eyes held his, unrepentant. "Yes,"

" _Why_?"

"Because I'm tired Hancock," she wrapped her arms around her naked torso like she was trying to physically hold herself together. "I want to reunite with the people who have already crossed over to paradise. I don't know why the wasteland wants me alive and I can't kill myself outright and still get there…so I'll keep looking."

"Maybe she has a grander plan for you." He suggested, prepping a stimpak and applying it to her thigh to help knit the bone back together.

"After everything I've already done I feel like she's asking an awful lot of me." Ginger told him, her voice an angry growl.

"Anything I might have heard of?" he asked, peeling away his flag and wrapping her shoulder in gauze.

Ginger chuckled bitterly. "Probably, maybe someday I'll tell you about it."

Hancock looked her over and felt a twinge of connection. She didn't want to talk about her past, she wanted to run and hide from it. Well that was something he could certainly understand.

Part of him almost wanted to think she was a few chems short of a good time for claiming she was part ghoul. She wasn't missing skin, he'd seen every inch of her last night. But, he realized, she had matched him in drinks and chems alike and hadn't passed out.

He'd also noticed that she was looking a lot better. Better then a single stimpak could have possibly have made her.

Hancock watched her eyes glance around and she moved like she wanted to get up. He settled his hands on her shoulders. "No, you need to rest."

"You're in cahoots with _her_. Why?"

Hancock stopped, thinking about it. He wasn't in love. He barely knew this woman and it wasn't like she was the first girl to be in his bed one night and gone the next. He hadn't taken it upon himself to track them down. The only thing was the odd dream he'd had and that sounded crazy even to him. "I don't know."

"You're holding something back." She accused and he sighed, defeated.

"Because the devil himself asked me to save you," He told her and she cocked an eyebrow at him. "figures the devil would be a ghoul."

"What?" Ginger asked.

"I guess I had too any chems before bed," he confessed and then told her about the dream he'd had. "The devil was very concerned about you Sunshine."

"The devil…" she murmured slowly, her eyes searching his face. "What makes you think he was the devil?"

"He told me his name," Hancock answered. He didn't understand the emotions flitting across her face but he got an incredibly intense feeling that he'd touched on something very personal for her.

"Did he have a scar on his face?" she asked, tracing a four inch line with her finger down her left cheekbone.

"Yeah," Hancock said, surprised.

Gingers eyes slid closed but not before he saw the sheen of tears welling up. " _Lucifer_ sent you after me." She whispered, sounding so very tired.

"Yeah," Hancock confirmed, noting the goosebumps crawling over her skin. "That's what I said."

"No, you don't understand." Ginger whispered, and a single tear escaped the corner of her eye. It rolled down her cheek. Hancock shrugged off his coat and settled it over her shoulders before hoisting himself up on the table next to her.

She was hurting in ways a stimpak wouldn't cure and it hurt him in ways he didn't really understand. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his solid body, holding her in his best attempt to be comforting.

"I want to understand." He whispered as the thunder rolled overhead. Ginger let her head rest on his shoulder and let out a long, shaky breath.

"The ghoul you met, he isn't the devil but his name was Lou. I saved his life once and left on my own merry way back before the world got complicate. We kept running into each other and we started traveling together. Lou and I…we were the wastelands version of a power couple. I don't know exactly when we went from friends to more but…Lou and me…we were magic."

Hancock tightened his grip when her voice trailed off. He couldn't imagine having a relationship with anyone like the kind she was describing.

"Lucifer and I were an army of two. The Brotherhood of Steel likes to take the credit but it was he and I that took on the Enclave in D.C. We got the water purifier working in the tidal basin and we lead the assault on the Enclaves mobile base. Together we blew the Enclave straight to hell. After that we went north and found… well we found a place we wanted to settle down in." She told him. "But I got cocky, carless and Lou ended up taking a killing blast that should have been mine. Now he's dead, he's been dead for years."

"And you're tellin' me he asked me to save you?" Hancock murmured.

Ginger nodded. "I've been such a fool. I just…I miss him so much."

"Suicide is Suicide Sunshine. Whether you pull your own trigger or put yourself in front of someone else's bullet." Hancock told her gently as he ran a hand through her hair, thinking about the conversation he'd had with Lou. "He's waiting for you Sister." he told her confidently. "No need to rush. I saw it on his face. He loves you."

Ginger sniffed quietly and stifled a yawn. "Thanks Hancock."

"Don't mention it sunshine." He told her, getting up and helping her lay back down. "Get some rest."

Ginger slept for two hours. Outside the radiation storm was still rumbling but not as fiercely. Hancock set his jet inhaler aside and watched her tenderly sit up and swing her legs to the floor. She winced but her leg held her weight.

She limped to the bar and he offered her a cigarette.

"Hey," he said when she was settled. "Been thinking about it. I can't tell ya' why the wasteland wants you alive and charging into dangerous areas is your business but Goodneighbor might be a good place for you until you figure out what you want to do. You could stay with me."

"What would you want from me?" she asked, waiting for him to get to the repayment. Nobody gave kindness without repayment in the wasteland. As a mayor he was sure to have all kinds of fires to put out.

"Not a thing sister." He told her. "That's what Goodneighbor is. A place for the freaks and the outcasts. What do ya say?"

She looked at him and he could tell she didn't trust everything he was saying but he could fix that with time.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked and Hancock grinned at her. "Because doll, The Devil asked me too."

* * *

Hancock woke up feeling satisfied beyond anything any amount chem use had been able to achive. He had the preious day getting Ginger back to Goodneighbor and getting her both fed and healed. He'd spent the night doing his best remind her why is was worth sticking around.

He reached out to snuggle her and all his hand found was a cold spot where she should be. Fear stabbed into his chest and he sat bolt upright. He was out of bed and stuffing himself into his pants when he heard the distinct rustle of heavy fabric and a feminine voice.

"Hey Hancock."

Hancock look towards the door and froze.

Ginger was leaning against his doorframe with her left elbow above her head and her right hand on her hip. She was wearing nothing but his tricon Hat black panties and red coat. The coat hid her nipples but her breast peeked out at him.

"Oh Sunshine," he groaned, dragging his eyes up to her face.

"Take those pants off." Ginger smirked at him. "We'll get this freak show on the road."

The End


End file.
